Notices of Disclosure of Personal Information

Notice of Disclosure of Personal Information to Ontario’s Ministry of Training, Universities, Research Excellence and Security

Algoma University is required to disclose personal information such as Ontario Education Numbers, student characteristics and educational outcomes to the Minister, Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security under section 15 of the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. M.19, as amended. The ministry collects this data for purposes such as planning, allocating and administering public funding to colleges, universities and other post-secondary educational and training institutions and to conduct research and analysis, including longitudinal studies, and statistical activities conducted by or on behalf of the ministry for purposes that relate to post-secondary education and training. Further information on the collection and use of student-level enrolment-related data can be obtained from the Ministry’s website.

Policies and Procedures

Contact: [email protected]

Notice of Disclosure of Personal Information to Statistics Canada

Statistics Canada is the national statistical agency. As such, Statistics Canada carries out hundreds of surveys each year on a wide range of matters, including education.

To understand things like what influences postsecondary enrolment and the results of public spending on education, it’s important to track students over time and between schools. To do this, Statistics Canada asks colleges and universities to share information about their students and graduates. Institutions collect and provide to Statistics Canada, student identification information (student’s name, student ID number, Social Insurance Number), student contact information (address and telephone number), student demographic characteristics, enrolment information, previous education, and labour force activity.

The Canadian Statistics Act, R.S.C., 1985, c. S-19 provides the legal authority for Statistics Canada to obtain access to personal information held by educational institutions. The information may be used for statistical purposes only, and the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act prevent the information from being released in any way that would identify a student.

Students may contact Statistics Canada via email if they have any questions: [email protected].

Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. F.31 (FIPPA): The University may be allowed to disclose personal information without consent in certain circumstances, when permitted or required by FIPPA itself, including to the Information and Privacy Commissioner (IPC) or other regulatory authorities. For more please refer to section 42 of FIPPA.
Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004, S.O. 2004, c. 3, Sched. A (PHIPA): The University may be allowed to collect, use or disclose personal information and personal health information without consent in certain circumstances, when permitted or required by PHIPA itself. For more please refer to this Q&A published by the Ontario Information Privacy Commissioner: Frequently Asked Questions – Personal Health Information Act.

Canadian Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA)
The University may be allowed to disclose personal information without consent in certain circumstances when permitted or required by PIPEDA itself. For more please refer to section 7(3) of PIPEDA.

Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Act: The University may be permitted to disclose personal information and personal health information if:

a. There is a public interest in the disclosure (meaning a greater interest than the requester’s private interest in the information being released).
b. This public interest in disclosure clearly outweighs the invasion of privacy that would result from disclosure.

For example, disclose to public health authorities for public health purposes, such as disease prevention and control.